


Daughter of Sea and Sky

by Silver Dragonfly (lillikira)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, opscifiandfantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4417289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillikira/pseuds/Silver%20Dragonfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nami wasn’t strong enough;  had never been strong enough to protect what she held precious. It was time she stopped hiding from the gifts she had always had and never truly used. (Written for Tumblr opscifiandfantasy Project)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daughter of Sea and Sky

** Daughter of Sea and Sky **

By Silver Dragonfly

.:o:.

She clutched the already worn-out looking newspaper in her hands tightly. He was such a selfish idiot and he drove her crazy more often than not, but his heart was gold. He was part of her treasure now; a treasure she would try to help and protect in whatever way was needed. She wasn’t strong enough, though; had never been strong enough to protect what she held precious. And she knew that, even now, he was blaming himself. Even if it was as much the crew’s fault… his nakama’s fault. They had failed him.

She needed to be more… more everything.

A better navigator, a better thief, a better fighter.

Two years.

She had waited for years in her effort to save her home village, and had not been able to do it alone. She had already grown so much since the day Arlong Park had fallen. She would train and learn all she could now and in the coming two years.

She had made her bargain with the weird and slightly creepy old men of Weatheria to learn what they knew.

It wouldn’t be enough.

There was a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye. She knew it wasn’t wind, or at least not _just_ the wind. She had always known there was more to the world around her, even when she pretended she didn’t.

Usopp was the crew’s storyteller. He’d spin his crazy tales, but he never really lied to himself. No, that self-deceit was more of Nami’s specialty. It took her years to finally stop believing her own lies; that she could save her village on her own. She had accepted that she needed Luffy’s help. But now Luffy needed her to be strong and it was time to stop running from the truth.

.:o:.

“Bellemere-san!” a young girl with short locks of orange called out as she ran through the rows of mikan trees. “Bellemere-san!!”

“What is it, Nami-chan?” a red haired woman asked as she turned away from the tree she had been caring for.

“A big storm is coming!” the girl exclaimed.

“There aren’t even any clouds in the sky.” Another girl with blue hair stated as she climbed down from a nearby ladder.

“It won’t get here till early morning.” Nami quickly explained.

“How do you know that, Nami-chan?” Bellemere asked.

“The wind faeries told me.” The orange haired girl explained.

“You were just eaves dropping in town when trying to pick pockets again.” The blue haired girl scoffed, not impressed.

“I was not, Nojiko!” Nami shouted back.

“Now girls, this isn’t the time for that. We have a storm to prepare for.” Bellemere stated interrupting the fight before it could really get started.

“But—” Nojiko began.

“If Nami says there is a storm coming, then we best be prepared. She’s never been wrong yet.” Bellemere explained, handing a basket of ripe fruit to the elder of the two girls.

Nami stuck her tongue out at her sister before helping pick up some of the nearby tools.

Come morning they all watched with wide eyes as wind ripped through trees and sent debris flying. Curtains of rain lashing walls and windows along with the gusts of wind.

“I told you.” Nami said, her voice quiet.

“I still don’t believe it was faeries.” Nojiko replied with skepticism.

.:o:.

Nami glanced sideways at her sister only to glance away quickly when she found her sister’s own eyes studying her.

Nojiko sighed. “She really tries, you know.”

Nami huffed. “She shouldn’t not eat because of us.”

Nojiko shook her head. “So stubborn.”

Nami kicked a pebble skittering across the path then froze in place as something whispered by her ear.

“What is it?” Nojiko asked.

“Bad fish…” Nami whispered, confused.

“Bad fish?” Nojiko asked.

“Bad fish are coming.” Nami said slowly.

“How could you possibly know something like that?” Nojiko asked in disbelief, sometimes her sister drove her a bit crazy.

“The wind faeries…”

Before she could say anything further the Doctor of Cocoyashi village came running up the path. “Nami! Nojiko! Quickly; come with me into the woods! Hurry!”

“Why? What happened?”  The two girls asked at ounce.

“You have to flee this island right away!” The Doctor said quickly. “There are no records of Bellemere being your mother and it’s the best chance to save all three of you.”

“I don’t want to leave. I want to keep living here!” Nami said, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

“Fishmen Pirates from the Grand Line have taken over this island. If they find out you two are here someone will die.” The Doctor explained.

Nami clenched her fists tightly. _Bad fish taking money in exchange for life._ The now familiar voices whispered in her ears. “Is it because we’re poor? Is that why we can’t be Bellemere-san’s daughters anymore?” Nami demanded.

“Nami—” The Doctor began, but was cut off as Nojiko spoke.

“I’ll go! I’ll leave this island.”

“Nojiko…” Nami sniffled.

“Let’s go, Nami!” Nojiko ordered, turning to head down the path to the shore. “It’s all right, Bellemere-san is alive.”

Nami turned to look toward their home, tears dripping down her cheeks. “Bellemere….” She whispered before slowly turning away.

“THAT One hundred thousand berries is FOR MY DAUGHTERS!” a familiar voice spilled back from the house.

Both girls froze and turned to face the house in a rush and began sprinting for it. “BELLEMERE!”

_Nami, you mustn’t go!!_

.:o:.

That had been the first time she had ignored what she had taken to calling the wind faeries. It had really only been the start of her denial and refusal to truly see the world around her, and by itself probably would have not lasted this long.

.:o:.

“Arlong, what are you planning with this human girl?” Asked one of the fishmen that had been waiting back at the marine port Arlong had claimed for his personal use.

Arlong chuckled. “She is a natural sea chart maker, perhaps some undine blood in her.”

The crowd of pirates perked up at that, “Well that makes her practically a cousin; suppose we could overlook the rotten human blood.” The previous speaker said with a sneer.

“Stop! Let me go!” Nami cried out.

Several fishmen began to curse as globes of water started shooting out from the ocean and pelting them.

Arlong’s lips spread wide showing off his shark teeth, “Call your friends off, Nami, or we will be forced to kill the entire village.”

Nami froze, her eye wide, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “You can’t!”

Arlong lifted her higher by her neck. “I can, and I will. Can’t have water sprites causing havoc in our base no matter how good you are at drawing maps.” He said as he threw her toward the water and crossed his arms waiting and watching.

Nami flailed and took deep gasping breaths as she broke the surface of the water and struggled to keep herself a float, and then she didn’t have to. The water faeries were there, supporting her, making it easy to keep her head above the water’s surface. She looked back at the staring fishmen and flinched. “Go Away!” She shouted and shoved at the watery forms crowded around her. “I don’t want your help! Leave!” The pirates had killed Bellemere, she knew that Nojiko would be next on their list.

The watery forms spread out but lingered. _Nami-chan…_

“You can’t help me!” Nami shouted, tears mixing with the ocean.

The water faeries looked to each other than sunk below the waves. _We understand, we’ll be waiting Nami. Do not let the bad fish darken your heart._

Nami bobbed under as the presence of the water faeries vanished completely and then struggled to break the surface once more. A large hand grasped her arm and pulled her from the water as a deep voice she identified as Arlong’s, chuckled at her side.

“Good girl; you belong to us now.”

.:o:.

That had been the last time she had really seen any of the ethereal creatures she had called faeries. Glimpses of things moving in the water, unexplained flickers of movement in the corner of her eye, she ignored it all.

But… she heard them.

She never acknowledged their whispering voices, never turned to look at what she knew deep down was in the corner of her eye.

She heard them, and she listened.

They had told her Luffy was coming.

.:o:.

Nami ran hard, wondering just where her plan had gone so wrong that it had led her to her current problem. Behind her she could hear the pirates she had just robbed chasing after her. This was not entirely a new situation, but these were Buggy Pirates. She was out of her league.

_The Laughing Boy is coming!_

She skidded to a stop, whirling in surprise as the whispered words were soon followed by a crash and muttered yelps of the pirates that had been chasing her.

.:o:.

They had whispered of Zoro.

.:o:.

Nami reacted with hardly a thought, knocking the pirate who had started to light the fuse to the ground. She would not sink to their level. She would not kill someone in cold blood.

“What’s the big idea, Nami?” Buggy demanded.

“I won’t become a murder like you. Pirates took someone important to me; there is no way I would become what I hate!” she shouted at the Pirate Clown.

“Kill her!” Buggy ordered with a sneer.

Nami readied her staff as pirates began to surround her, she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

_Help is near! The Steady Heart comes._

“How many pirates does it take to deal with one girl?” A deep voice asked mocking the group of pirates he held at bay across three sword blades.

Nami whirled in surprise at his voice and stared in disbelief as Luffy laughed and the man he called Zoro gave a sinister grin in response.

.:o:.

They had giggled at Usopp’s stories.

.:o:.

“I am the Great Captain Usopp! I have 80 million followers, so beware!”

“So Cool!” Luffy cheered.

_Three little boys!_

“Liar.” Nami stated and watched amused as the boy flailed and Luffy yelled in surprise.

.:o:.

“Captain always goes to visit Miss Kaya at this time.” One of the boys declared.

“He tells her lies!” Another chimed in.

_His stories soothe the heart._

“It makes Miss Kaya smile!” the third added with a grin.

“How does that work?” Zoro asked.

Nami listened with the others as the full story was revealed, and she noted: he really did tell stories to soothe the heart.

.:o:.

They had whispered of Sanji with girlish giggles and squeals of delight, though she had ignored them, her mind filled with the shadows of Arlong after seeing his bounty poster. She had decided it was time to cut ties with the so called Laughing Boy and his friends.

They had chided her leaving her crew behind when she had taken the Merry. Lamenting that she was leaving behind all the young men and boys who made her (and them) laugh. Even then, she had known that her time with the Straw Hat Pirates was the happiest she had been since Bellemere’s death. The Laughing Boy, Steady Heart, Storyteller, and the most recently added Flirty Chef had let her forget for a time, but her shadows had dragged her back.  The laughing voices of the faeries that she refused to take notice of had been dancing around more as well, but as she had approached Cocoyashi, they had fallen silent once more. She had not heard them there since the day Arlong had made his ultimatum and decree. Then Luffy and the others had come after her and Arlong had fallen.

.:o:.

They danced.

They sang.

They reveled in the fall of the bad fish and called her name in joy.

She laughed.

She cried.

She did not answer their calls.

She heard them whenever she was awake, and even in her dreams, but she still refused to acknowledge they were there. She wanted nothing that had anything to do with fishmen. The fishmen had called her their little half-undine, and cousin. She had hated it, but she still heard the wind and water faeries despite her unease. She could not block them out completely, nor could she deny their wisdom, even if she didn’t always understand it right away.

_Great Storm! Strong Winds!_

Had been thewords whispered as she felt the air pressure change while in Lougetown.

They had warned her of the Calm Belt.

_Beware! No Wind! Danger!_

Though she had been unable to stop them from reaching it.

They had guided her to the current leading to the Grand Line.

_Up! Follow it Up! Fun! Fun! Fun!_

They taught her to read the weather and waves all over again as she learned to navigate the Grand Line.

_Storm is coming!_

_Whirlpool below the waves!_

_Rain to dance in!_

_Lightning to chase!_

It had nearly been enough to make her want to pull out her hair. Yet, there had been the crew. She heard joyous laughter with her Captain. They played in the air around the Steady Heart as he trained, or slept. They were silent as the Storyteller spun his tales, and then broke out it raucous cheer when he’d finished. They played coy and flirted with the Flirty Chef while he tried to flirt with her. They even whispered of the Desert Flower and her love of the hot summer winds.

She began to wonder if she was really losing it as she fell ill and they went silent.

When she awoke, the silence was broken as they set to whispering all around her of Luffy’s climb of the mountain to bring her to Kureha, though later she claimed Sanji had been the one to tell. It was then that she began to wonder if maybe her strange connection to the spirits she had always known as faeries was really a bad thing.

They told her of the Child Healer whom she quickly found out was Chopper. She had known then that Luffy had found someone new to add to their crew, every person the faeries seemed to give a nickname, Luffy had chosen.

In Alabasta, they told her of desert winds that sang of both cruel sands and a beloved Desert Flower. It was not until after it was all over that she realized that the cruel sands that the voices had been warning her about had to have been storms started by Crocodile. It was the first time she truly began to wish for a way to control the wind. The miniature storms she could create now with the aid of the weapon Usopp had made for her only made her wish she could do more.

They did not seem to lament with the crew when they left Vivi behind, and she had wondered if it was because Vivi belonged to the wind faeries of her desert, but then they whispered a new name.

_Shadow Lady has a gift for you._

And then Robin had appeared. Luffy agreed to Robin’s request to join the crew and the rest responded accordingly. She had been skeptic, but then the bag of jewels had quickly changed her mind and identified Nico Robin as the Shadow Lady.

Then they found Jaya and the log post pointed to the sky.

_The shadows in the sky! The sky! The white sea of the sky!_

Nami had felt a strange thrill at the very idea of an island in the sky, Skypiea.

_To the sky! To the sky!_

She had let their enthusiasm affect her. The thrill and joy she had felt that day as they rode the knock-up stream had been nearly overwhelming.  Then she had been introduced to the waver. It had been wonderful and made her feel like she could have gone anywhere.

Then the faeries stilled.

Lightning struck and terror filled the air.

Everything about Skypiea after that had been one thrilling moment after another. It was also the first time she could consciously remember ever sensing the faeries when they hadn’t spoken or whispered in her ears. She knew now, looking back on all those events that she would not have survived if the wind faeries had not been protecting her. Every blow she took had been buffered by them. She owed them so much, and had given them nothing but stubborn silence. She had even then considered trying to speak to them directly, but she put it off, distracted by treasure and soon fell into the familiar habit of never openly acknowledging their gifts and wisdom.

.:o:.

They sailed on.

.:o:.

_Sheep hurt._

They whispered, and even then she knew they had to be referring to their ship, Going Merry. But the ship sailed as true as it ever had and showed no signs of distress, despite the very obvious battle scars.

.:o:.

_Beware the ice!_

It was only days after, when the near panic of nearly losing Captain and crewmate had faded that she realized they had warned her of the Admiral’s logia ability.

.:o:.

_City living on the water!_

They had giggled as the Going Merry reached the Island City of Water 7. Their giggling laughter became a constant as they traveled into the city and followed the various waterways. Then, with Luffy, she learned of Merry’s condition and was stricken as she realized how long they had been sailing with their ship so injured.

_Sheep loves her humans._

Had been the solemn whispers in her ears.

Instead of a place of wonder, Water 7 became a place of misfortune. Ship condemned, money stolen, Usopp beaten, Robin missing and declared an assassin.

_Shadow Lady seeks to protect._

That was all they whispered when the crew began the frantic search for the missing woman on Water 7, not willing to accept that she had been responsible for the attack on the city’s leader.

_It comes! Huge wave! Seek shelter!_

Aqua Laguna. They charged into it in the desperate mission to save their nakama.

She watched, both amused and amazed, as Luffy and Zoro faced the large tidal wave.

_Laughing Boy grows strong with Steady Heart._

Nami found herself silently agreeing with them.

.:o:.

_Big Brother Robot is with Shadow Lady._

They had whispered. She hadn’t understood it at the time, and didn’t really get a chance to reflect and remember the new identity until the events of that day were long over.

Thinking back on it now, she could hardly remember all the details of that day, once they arrived at Enies Lobby. Everything had happened so fast, and so much practically all at once. Yet, there were several moments of clarity.

Their stand off on the rooftop across the chasm from where Robin was held, the utter calm and silence that had surrounded them in those moments. Her fight with Kalifa, and the whispered guidance that allowed her to use Mirage Tempo for the first time. And finally, the glee-filled cries as they jumped down to the ocean and their unexpected escape route.

_Sheep is here! Sheep has come to help! We guided Sheep here!_

Her feeling of absolute clarity as she guided ship and crew out the whirlpool and away from the fleet of marine ships and the all-encompassing relief as they sailed through the sky, their crew whole once more.

And finally, when they were safely out of harm’s way, the respectful silence as the Straw-Hat crew mourned their friend and the incredulity that the ship’s timely rescue of them would be their last voyage on the little caravel.         

.:o:.

Nami took a steadying breath, fighting back the tears the memory tried to pull from her. There had been enough tears shed that day, the Going Merry still traveled with them now in spirit and with the Thousand Sunny in the form of Mini Merry.

She had been confused and overwhelmed after that day. It had been the first time since the day she was forced into serving Arlong that she had almost completely acknowledged the faeries presence. Like with the battle in Skypiea, she would not have escaped her fight with Kalifa without grave injury, and the entire crew may not have escaped Enies Lobby at all. She had almost acknowledged them, but held back; the ingrained childhood fear of it leading to harm for those she cared for still overpowering her judgement.

She could not afford any further hesitation and their voyage continued on.

.:o:.

_Fog is dangerous, beware._

She watched the fog warily as it surrounded the ship, swallowing them and the sea around them, dark shadows and empty ships flitting in and out of view. A lost graveyard of ships… she had thought. Then a form appeared out of the foggy mist that was not just an empty ship.

_Music Bones has been alone for a long time._

Nami stilled and felt a creeping sense of resignation and dismay. It seemed the skeleton would be joining the crew, despite his and the crew’s initial protests. Luffy had already asked him after all.

.:o:.

That had been the last whisper she heard until after they left the Florian Triangle.

If only she had known then, what a literal nightmare the next 24 hours would become. From the moment they crashed Mini Merry into the ship known as Thriller Bark, all she had been able to do was run from one pocket of danger to the next one.

Zombies, a Crazy Mad Doctor, a Ghost Girl and so many other things right out of a horror fiction book.

She considered how quiet the faeries had been during that nightmare.  She wondered, now, if there would have been anything they could have done in that weird place. She knew she should have been able to do more. She could not count how many times she really had needed a rescue from some injury or undesirable fate. She really owed Sanji for saving her from becoming a sleeping bride or worse.

She needed to be able to defend herself at the very least, something that had not really seemed quite so important before that point.

Then they heard of the attacks in East Blue and met Shiki the Golden Lion himself.

.:o:.

_The ship floats upon the wind!_

Nami had offered the warning of a coming storm, sure in her weather reading ability.

The Golden Lion introduced himself, and once again she found herself dancing to the whims of someone with more strength then she could hope to contend with. Yet, unlike with Arlong, this time she had a reason to fight, this time she had nakama to depend on.

A glass gilded cage with the calm watching presence of the faeries of the water. She could feel them there, watching, but not offering any words of wisdom or hindering her in any way as she explored the pool.

_He’s fused with a lightning spirit._ The air whispered in her ear when her captors brought in the strange bird. Just like that, she seemed to understand him, and he followed her around her glass cage like a puppy. She found her way out.

_This place is dangerous. They drive the animals mad._

She had figured that much out already. Then she found Luffy, and a weight lifted from her chest, if only it had lasted.

The crew gathered and Shiki buried them, literally, forcing her to choose servitude or their lives just as Arlong had used her village against her as a child.

The wind faeries had been silent as she made her choice. She would play Shiki’s game, but he didn’t know the Straw-Hat Pirates.

She would gamble her own life, after all, East Blue and her village was still in danger and she did not trust Shiki to not betray her.

_You musn’t! Poison!_   They warned, she ignored them, she knew what she was risking.

It really didn’t surprise her that the others had come, destroying Shiki’s palace in typical Straw-Hat fashion. The defeat of the Golden Lion by the Laughing Boy was a sure bet as far as Nami was concerned. She left the Pirates to her nakama and made sure Shiki’s floating islands of terror would not fall over the sea that half the crew called home as children.

She was only really surprised afterward when she learned Luffy had not heard her final whispered message in the tone dial.

She smiled as laughter filled the air both of crew and faerie.

Then they reached the Red Line.

.:o:.

_Deep! Very Deep! Island of the Fish!_ _Sail the Deep currents!_

The laughing voices made her irritable the longer the crew dwelled over how to go down to continue following the log pose course.

Then Cami landed on the deck.

_Fishman regrets._

_.:o:._

She had known then that the Hat-chin, as Cami called him, was really Hachi, former member of Arlong’s crew. She had only just begun to accept the possibility that maybe her strange tie to the Undines that Arlong and the others had driven her to hate may not be all bad. Could she really hate Hachi and continue to hate herself? So she began to forgive, or at least pretend indifference.

.:o:.

Towering mangrove trees, whose sap created the strange bubbles that filled the atmosphere, created the strange island known as Shabody Archipelago. The tree-formed island had no magnetic field and its weather was linked to the Red Line itself. As such, it was in the backyard of Marineford and Mariejois, but a haven for thieves, smugglers, slavers, and pirates alike; despite the marine base present.

_Bubbles! Island Grove of Bubbles!_

Light laugher constantly tickled Nami’s ears as she struggled to ignore the flashes of movement among the bubbles all around them. She focused on the shopping instead, but she should have known, that with her nakama, things would not remain calm.

_Men on flying fish come!_

She remembered the gut sick feeling she had when she heard of Cami’s kidnapping, and the likely reason why. Immediately her mind raced with options, including the mental tally of the crew’s treasure and what they could spend.

World Nobles… the Celestial Dragons. Next to them even Arlong didn’t seem that bad and she had no hope of matching them in a bidding war. It was just one more way in which she had not been able to do anything. She was relieved by Luffy’s complete disregard for social expectations, and yet the consequences were terrifying.

Luffy’s luck held true as they banded together with an unexpected ally, the Dark King, former first mate of Gol D. Roger.

The crew was able to breathe once more, a plan made, she had relaxed. She should have been prepared for what came next. She lost count of how many near misses they all had in the next hours, and really all she could remember even now was the sheer shock and terror that had filled her when Zoro disappeared.  She had frozen up, unable to react as very quickly Brook, Usopp, and even Sanji vanished before their eyes.

Franky moved in and Luffy attacked, but the warlord had simply deflected Luffy’s attack and continued on his task, sending Franky away just like the first four. Then he approached her.

Her eyes focused on Luffy, desperate and scared, seeing the same emotions mirrored on her Captain’s face.

_We will be with you._

Then she remembered nothing until she awoke on Weatheria.

.:o:.

Flickers of movement continued to dance in the corners of her vision. It was time to accept everything.

She tucked the worn newspaper away for safe keeping and rose to her feet, squaring her shoulders. She bent low at the waist.

“I’m sorry I’ve ignored you all for so long. Please forgive me.”

The air stilled and nothing moved for several long moments.

_Stand up Nami._ A voice spoke, just as she had always heard them, but somehow sounding both wise and wild at once.

Nami remained bowed, “I’ve been a stubborn idiot and a fool.”

_Bow your head to no one, Nami. Please, stand up._

With those whispered words, a gentle brushing of air lifted under her chin, forcing her to raise her chin. Nami opened her eyes slowly and then gasped softly.

Gathered before her were several translucent beings that appeared to truly be made of nothing but air. Faint differences in shade giving away the shape of their forms, they were both alike and yet different from the winged wind faeries she remembered in childhood. Before her, a humanoid female figure let her hand fall back to her side from where she had lifted Nami’s chin, she stepped back as another figure that was completely different in form but still just as ethereal moved forward.

Its’ body reminded her of a great serpent, but along its’ belly were four stubby legs, resting upon tufts of clouds which kept it aloft. Its’ head reminded her of the dragons they had once found before they even reached the Grand line. Eyes filled with age and wisdom met her gaze steadily as she finished her study and a deep voice filtered through her mind.

_Despite all the various abilities and techniques humankind has found and developed in this world, there are few that can hear us. Among those that can, there are even fewer who can also see us. You are a rare gift, Nami, and we have respected your wishes to keep our distance all this time in hope that you would one day accept us once again._

Nami felt tears trying to build and escape. “I’m sorry.”

_There is nothing to be sorry for. We would have sheltered you from the fishman known as Arlong, but we could not save all those you wished to protect. So instead we watched, only intervening in ways that could not be detected by the fishmen._

Nami again was reminded of that terrible day, but she fought off the fear and stood straight once more.

“I need your help.”

_You need only ask._

Nami smiled then. “Teach me everything.”

Giggles spread throughout the group and the dragon-like air spirit’s jaw dropped open in a toothy grin.

_We thought you would say that._ A more feminine voice spoke as the humanoid female who also seemed to be made of air itself stepped forward once more, gossamer wings like those of a dragonfly shimmering behind her. Like the dragon spirit, she remained just above the ground. _Our cousins of the water will be disappointed that they are not here to join in this venture, but you are often on land where they are unable to reach you. So, we offer this; just as the men on this island manipulate the weather through science and math, so we will teach you how you can call on us and the very magic of the air and sky itself. The spirits of the water will, upon your return to the seas below, continue to teach you how to read the ocean’s secrets and travel its hidden paths, and perhaps even the magic of the sea._

Her mind raced with the possibilities and a few tears slipped from her eyes. With this… with this she would not be a burden and liability anymore. With this she would be able to step up to fight alongside her nakama, no longer hiding in the background and running away.

The dragon spirit spoke once more. _We ask only one thing Nami, daughter of sea and sky._

Nami froze; her heart clenching. She was a fool, of course there was a price. “What is it?”

_Never coerce one of our kind, if you find any spirit of sky or sea ensorcelled and enslaved, release them._

Nami blinked, surprised, that was hardly a price at all. “I agree. What do I call you?”

_I’ve always been amused by being called a faerie._ The air woman said, amused, but then her tone turned more somber. _Names have power among our kind, as you begin to learn, you will form bonds with some of us, and those you do may share their name with you if they wish. Until then, you may name us as you choose._

Nami nodded and then smirked. “All right, Fae, how do we start?”

The airy woman laughed. _We start, by welcoming you, Nami, the first Mage of both Sea and Sky._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading. This piece was written for the One Piece Sci-fi/Fantasy Project on Tumblr (tag: opscifiandfantasy). This is complete as a stand-alone one-shot. As always, One Piece and all its characters © Eiichiro Oda. 
> 
> Some of the elemental concepts and ideas for this work were inspired in part by Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Master series.
> 
> Special Thanks also to my Beta’s and Sounding Boards; Blue Melodie and AriaIno.


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